Indonesia strike round-up

Tens of thousands of Indonesian workers held a national strike on 31 October and 1 November. Police reported that protests were held in 50 towns and cities in 15 provinces.

Max Lane previously provided analysis of, and background to, the strike. Here James Balowski sifts through in more detail the particular actions that took place across the archipelago.

Aceh and Sumatra

Hundreds of workers from the Aceh Labour Alliance rallied at the Regional House of Representatives in Indonesia’s northern-most province on 28 October, calling on the Aceh government to increase the regional minimum wage (UMP) from 1.7 million rupiah a month to 2.3 million (around US$200).

They also called for labour representatives to be involved in the deliberation on a draft by-law on labour, for the abolition of outsourcing in state-owned enterprises and for the government to act against companies refusing to pay the minimum wage. “Their labour is used when needed, but when they’re not needed any more, they get sacked straight away, without severance pay. This is what we are referring to as unjust”, one of the worker representatives told Serambi Indonesia.

The Jakarta Post reported that around 1,000 foreign investment companies across 26 industrial estates in Batam, Riau Islands, shut down almost all their operations on 31 October. Several industrial estates deployed members of the paramilitary youth organisation Pemuda Pancasila (PP) in front of factories to prevent protesters from forcing management to allow other workers to join the strike.

At the Executive Park industrial complex, dozens of workers tried to demolish the entry gate. An attempt by protesters to blockade Batam’s international airport and several ports failed due to a huge police presence.

In the central Sumatran province of Jambi, workers from the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions protested against a decree by the governor setting the province’s minimum wage at 1.5 million rupiah. “A minimum wage of 1.6 million rupiah must be introduced because our KHL (reasonable cost of living index) is set at Rp1.6 million”, the confederation’s Jambi regional coordinator, Roida Pane, told the Post on 31 October.

In Lampung province, hundreds of workers descended on government offices demanding the UMP be raised to Rp3.7 million. “The cost of living right now is very high, it is reasonable to ask for 3.7 million rupiah”, said local worker Robin. “The government should pay attention to workers, not just its civil servants”, he added, referring to the huge government expenditure on the Indonesia’s bloated bureaucracy.

“A wage of 1.1 million is not enough to meet daily needs in a month, let alone those that have families”, People’s Movement coordinator Deni Kurniawan was quoted by Antara News.

In the North Sumatran capital of Medan, workers rallied to oppose the provincial government’s decision to raise the 2014 minimum wage by just 10 percent. “The prices of staple foods and other goods have increased by at least 30 percent. Therefore, we demand a 50 percent increase and reject anything below that figure”, trade union leader Minggu Saragih told the Associated Press.

Saragih said workers would launch massive strikes that would cripple the province’s economy and called on 1.6 million union members to stop paying motorcycle tax until the governor revised the decision.

West Java

The 31 October Jakarta Post reported that more than 50,000 workers rallied in the West Java cities of Bogor and Depok, demanding that the minimum wage be increased to Rp3.7 million and that outsourcing be eliminated. Three major retailers – Giant, Carrefour and Tip Top – were closed due to the strike.

In Bogor, workers protested the Bogor regent’s proposed UMP of Rp1.7 million, saying that it was far from enough to meet daily needs. In Depok, workers blocked the city’s main thoroughfare for around an hour. All Indonesia Workers Union Depok chairperson Sugino said fuel price increases had forced workers to demand the salary adjustment. “This year alone we have experienced fuel and electricity price hikes. We are only just surviving”, he told the Post.

In Bekasi, around 5,000 workers blockaded the main road in front of the mayor’s office, demanding wage rises. Nanang, one of the workers’ representatives, said that that they were demanding a 50 percent increase in the UMP or 2.1 million for Bekasi City, based on the basic cost of living following recent fuel price hikes. “A minimum increase of 40 percent, we could agree to”, she was quoted as saying by news outlet Tempo, adding that although workers were aware that the blockade disrupted traffic, it was the only effective means to get employers to agree to their demands.

Jakarta

Workers in Jakarta launched a two day strike on 31 October as the Jakarta wage council – which is made up of labour, employer and city administration representatives – met to set the regional minimum wage for 2014. Workers refused to attend the meeting, saying the deliberations were based on a KHL that was out of date.

“Our protests are concentrated in industrial areas”, Konfederasi Serikat Pekerja Indonesia (KSPI – Indonesian Trade Union Confederation) chairperson Said Iqbal told the Jakarta Globe. Iqbal said that 2 million workers in 20 provinces joined the strike including 250,000 workers in the Jakarta industrial areas of Pulogadung and Cakung and 300,000 in the Jakarta satellite city of Bekasi.

In South Cikarang several workers were seriously injured when they were attacked by paid thugs from the PP. “This morning, at 8.15am, there was a clash between workers and [Pemuda Pancasila], who did not like the rally”, Jakarta police spokesperson Senior Commissioner Rikwanto told the Jakarta Globe on 31 October.

Rikwanto said the clash involved 15,000 workers and 500 members of PP, who claimed that the strike would affect their livelihoods and the investment climate in Indonesia. “Eight persons were injured, hit by stones or stabbed. Four workers and four security guards [were hurt]”, he said. The PP was established by the army in 1959 and used to carry out the Suharto dictatorship’s dirty work. The organisation still has close ties with the military and police and has been linked to racketeering and extortion.

Speaking at a press conference later in the day, Iqbal said that in addition to the PP, the Sons of Bekasi Association and the Bekasi Association of Waste Companies were also involved in the attack. He also noted that the media had tried to portray the incident as a clash between strikers and local residents and paint the workers’ actions in a negative light.

“[They were] thugs who were paid, slashing and stabbing with machetes, samurai [swords]. This is clearly what was caught on television”, he told Viva News.

Workers are calling on police to question the leaders of the organisations and for the Bekasi police chief to be sacked for allowing people to carry weapons. If the police fail to act, said Iqbal, then workers would take up the fight. “We will go up against them in the context of defending [ourselves] not attack. What kind of country is this where black employers work with criminals”, he said.

Following a gubernatorial decree endorsing the wage council’s decision to raise the minimum wage by just 11 percent, on 2 November thousands of workers descended on the Jakarta city hall, saying the meagre increase constituted an economic injustice. The protesters, coming mostly from industrial estates in Cilincing, Pulogadung and Cakung, forced their way onto city hall grounds and threatened not to leave until the governor annulled the decree.

Jakarta Labour Forum secretary general Muhammad Toha said they were disappointed with Governor Joko Widodo for signing off on a UMP of Rp2.4 million. “We will keep fighting, we will stay overnight to protest here until the governor changes the decree”, he told the Jakarta Post.

Central and East Java

In Demak regency, Central Java, around 3,000 workers from the Demak Labour Movement (Gebrak) rallied in front of the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), demanding wage rises. “We don’t agree with the UMP proposed by the Demak regional government of 1.28 million. We are demanding a minimum wage of 1.515 million”, PT Etercon Farma Sayung worker Supriadi was quoted as saying by Tribune News.

“We have tried lobbying four times, but there was no result. It’s as if the regional government and the DPRD don’t care”, said Gebrak chairperson Jangkar Puspito.

Detik News reported that hundreds of workers from the Federasi Serikat Pekerja Metal Indonesia (Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers) in the provincial capital of Semarang blockaded the Java north coast road on 30 October, demanding that the governor agree to a 3 million rupiah minimum wage. Action coordinator Somad said they plan to hold even bigger actions in front of the Semarang city hall, which will be followed by a rally at the governor’s office, where workers from several different parts of Central Java will gather and demonstrate.

Scores of students from the Student Struggle Centre for National Liberation (Pembebasan) – which is affiliated with the People’s Liberation Party – held an action in solidarity with the national strike in the city of Yogyakarta on 1 November.

The rally, which was held in front of the Yogyakarta Presidential Palace, was marked with the lighting of 1,000 candles. “Almost all workers in the country are taking action. Moreover, workers in Jabotabek [Greater Jakarta] are standing firm to fight for their rights. We are here to support the actions by the workers”, action coordinator Ajwar told Tribune News.

The students condemned the PP’s attack on striking workers in Bekasi: “It is very regrettable that in a democratic country there are still efforts to muzzle the people’s wishes by acts of thuggery. We condemn this brutal action”, Ajwar said.

A rally was also held by hundreds of workers from the Yogyakarta Labour Alliance (ABY), who blockaded the main road running through the Malioboro shopping district. They then moved on to the DPRD, but after discovering that all the lawmakers were away on “working visits”, they rallied at the Yogyakarta governor’s office. ABY secretary general Kirnadi said that the Yogyakarta minimum wage is still far from reasonable. “If workers’ wages in Yogya are not raised, then it is reasonable for us to question Yogyakarta’s special status. Yogya would be special if workers were prosperous”, said Kirnadi in a speech.

Protesting workers in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya threatened to occupy the governor’s office if their demands for a UMP of 3 million rupiah were not met. KSPI Deputy Secretary Jamaludin said, “We will occupy the governor’s office until the demand for 3 million is met”, as around 10,000 workers from Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Gresik, Pasuruan and Mojokerto demonstrated and gave speeches on the road in front of the governor’s office.

The workers also called for the annulment of Presidential Instruction 9/2013 (which limits wage increases), an end to contract labour and outsourcing and revisions to the KHL.

Kalimantan and Sulawesi

In the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar, a coalition of students, workers and urban poor organisations from Social Solidarity Action for the Indonesian People rallied in front of the Makassar Industrial Zone, blockading the main road to the city centre.

National Trade Union Confederation chairperson Salim Samsur said the action was held to condemn the South Sulawesi governor. “Today around 300 workers closed off the road. If our demands are not met, in coming days 3,000 workers will close the road”, he told Tribune News on 31 October.

Around 100 workers in the East Kalimantan city of Samarinda rallied at the governor’s office on 28 October, demanding a 50 percent wage increase. “In addition to demanding an increase in the UMP to a minimum of 2.8 million rupiah a month, we are also demanding that the government immediately abolish contract labour systems and outsourcing”, one of the action coordinators, Yuno, was quoted as saying by Antara News.

The workers also criticised the recent presidential instruction, which by placing a cap on minimum wage increases is nothing but manipulation on the part of the political elite to maintain low wages.

[For the latest news and information on Indonesia visit Asia Pacific Solidarity Network.]